Gush Etzion (TPS) – Two Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded in a stabbing attack on Highway 60 near the Palestinian village of Al-Arroub on Monday afternoon.

According to an IDF spokesperson, a Palestinian man stabbed the soldiers while they were on patrol. Additional reports from the scene indicate that the terrorist was carrying a screwdriver and a knife and that he used the screwdriver to stab them. An IDF spokesperson said the force shot and neutralized the assailant.

Magen David Adom (MDA) medics treated the victims who were both in their early 20s and fully conscious. One of the victims was stabbed in the head while the other sustained an injury to his hand. They were taken by ambulance to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian assailant was critically wounded from a single shot to the abdomen. He was taken to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem.

Palestinian media identified the attacker as Muhammad Baradiya, 35, from Al-Arroub. His 54-year-old brother Ibrahim Baradiya was shot and killed three months ago after charging at IDF forces with an ax in his hand, attempting to commit a stabbing attack himself.

Israelis driving on Route 60, particularly on the part of the road connecting the Etzion bloc with Chevron, have frequently been targeted during the current wave of Palestinian terror attacks.

Rabbi Michael Mark and his family were attacked in a drive-by shooting as they were driving on that road on July 1. Mark, a resident of the Otniel community located near Hebron, was killed and his wife has been severely injured while two of their children sustained light and moderate injuries in the attack.